Why Iman Vellani Thought The Ms. Marvel Auditions Were A Hoax
Disparage the Marvel Cinematic Universe all you want, but there's no denying that when it comes to casting, Kevin Feige and the MCU's longtime casting director, Sarah Halley Finn, have the magic touch. It's all but impossible now to picture anyone other than Robert Downey Jr. lending his snarky wit to the self-declared "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" Tony Stark, or to imagine a different actor bringing the same spot-on mix of wholesomeness and New Yorker defiance like Chris Evans did as Steve Rogers. And let's not forget Thor and Loki, two Marvel Comics veterans who could've easily been dismissed as dorky C-listers, only to become the franchise's most long-lasting players thanks to Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston.
For all of its missteps, that hasn't changed in the MCU post-"Avengers: Endgame." Esteemed character actors Oscar Isaac, Hailee Steinfeld, and Florence Pugh all brought the full brunt of their talents to their roles in Phase 4 (even when the projects around them fell short), while young upstarts Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez) and Dominique Thorne (Riri Williams) have shown the potential to truly stand out once they're granted the full spotlight. Most of all, the next generation of Avengers couldn't ask for a better leader to carry the torch forward than Kamala Khan actor Iman Vellani.
Following the well-received "Ms. Marvel" series and her turn opposite Kamala's idol, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), in "The Marvels" (which is better than you've heard, especially when Kamala and her family are onscreen), Vellani has solidified herself as the best thing to happen to the MCU in a hot minute. That also makes it more than a little ironic that she might've never been cast at all, had she not followed up on what she initially assumed was a fake casting call for the "Ms. Marvel" show.
Vellani found an unexpected hero in Finn
If Vellani almost seemed to come out of thin air, it's because she sort of did, at least so far as Hollywood is concerned. Where Steinfeld was already an Oscar-nominated actor by the time she turned 15 and Gomez had starred in Netflix's short-lived but treasured "Baby-Sitters Club" series right before joining the MCU, Vellani's early acting experience was limited pretty much exclusively to high school theater. In fact, as noted in a 2022 article by Marie Claire, it was only sheer luck that Marvel Studios found Vellani at all, as she just so happened to learn about the auditions for "Ms. Marvel" though something an acquaintance of her aunt's saw on WhatsApp.
Due to the randomness of it all, Vellani initially assumed the whole thing had to be a hoax. She also spoke highly of the way Finn guided her through the audition process after she discovered it was legit:
"I honestly think [Finn] took a risk hiring me. And she looked out for me in a way that I didn't think was normal for most casting directors [...] She would literally call me and run lines with me and give me notes [before auditions] [...] Even after I got the part, I was dealing with so much imposter syndrome, and her advice is what grounded me and allowed me to trust my instincts."
For all the credit that the MCU's actors deserve, Vellani's comments are a testament to the equally vital role Finn has played in transforming the franchise into the behemoth that it is (and further proof that casting directors, in general, deserve their newly unveiled Oscar category). By going all-out to help Vellani succeed, she may have even given Marvel Studios the very thing it needs to right this ship going forward.